The Elves have been Knitting.

Hello Folks.

I'm pleased to tell you that I'm better and almost back to normal, whatever that may be.

I happened across a this pattern this week for a knitted clock cosy.   I knew I had to make one and wasted no time.  As soon as I started trying it on our bathroom clock the Clicky Needles' gang started to make derisory comments.  I couldn't have it at home.

I knew however, that our Reception class would be appreciative of my efforts and carried on.

I waited until the class had gone out for gymnastics and snuck into their classroom.

The class has been looking at the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker and have already found a shoe that the Elves made when they left some felt out.

When they returned from gym they squealed with delight and told their teacher that the Elves had been back again.

Mr Clicky and me have been painting the living room this weekend.  It's taken us 4 months and 8 matchpots to find the perfect colour, when we decided we still couldn't quite be bothered to get the brushes out.  Anyhoo, with Christmas on the way we decided it was time to get on with it.  We'll need new curtains as well, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Whilst moving things out of the living room I came across some squares left over from granny blanket so I'm joining them together to make a dolly blanket for my neighbour's grand daughter.

Sorry about the rubbish photo, it's so dingy here with all this rain.

I found some bargain lilies at £1.20.  They smell fabby.

I've been into town and bought a few Christmas pressies, and came across this lovely ribbon in Wilkinsons.  £1.00 each, 3m on the green and blue.

 And lastly, I popped into the sewing shop and got some spotty fabric to line my Crochet Lucy Bag.  

 The ric-rac will be used for Christmas decorations, watch this space ~ although if the decorating is anything to go by..............

That's about it for now.

As always have fun........Clicky Needles.

The Lurgy

Hello Folks.

A bad start to today's post.  I have the lurgy.

The germ ridden kids at work have given it to me.  I've been off since Wednesday ~ full of cold, with a blocked up head, popping ears and a runny nose.  In fact I'm trying not to snot on the keyboard right now. 

The older I get the more I seem to pick up bugs and the more I ache, which somehow doesn't seem fair.

This morning Mr Clicky suggested a quick pop out to Asda in Cheltenham, not for a food shop, just a mooch around and I did find a few things there to cheer me up.  If you've followed my blog for a while you'll know that it's fair to say I'm obsessional about my Christmas decorations.  This year I'm going for jewel colours ~ a new thing for me ~ so these will fit the bill nicely.

 

 I couldn't resist these glittery tea lights.

  I also got a set of fairy lights for £5.00 ~ you can never have enough ~ and an Ideal Home Magazine which I wouldn't usually buy but it had a 2013 Calendar and some Christmassy ideas.    Actually I have no want or need to have the ideal home, and if I look up now I see cobwebs on the ceiling and marks on the carpet.  

I started the back of my Olivia Jumper, the front with all the cables is too much my aching head.  The moss stitch has a 

a lovely rhythm to it, but is now making my arms ache. Huh!

 

That's about it for now I think, I'm off to curl up by the fire and go to sleep.

Have a fun week...............Clicky Needles.

Bimbling Along

Hello.

Life has been carrying on in the Clicky Needles' household much as normal.  I missed my usual post last Sunday, partly because I didn't have a lot to say and partly because DS was using the computer for homework. 

When I was ready I got sidetracked other people's lovely blogs; still better late than never.

As it is Remembrance Sunday DS' rugby match was stopped at 11.00 and they observed the two minute silence.  They played two matches today and won both of them, so a happy boy.

School has been a bit manic for me, on Tuesday I went on a trip to @Bristol which is a great fun, hands on Science Centre.  The following day we had a Science Subject Ofsted Inspection so we're now awaiting the report to see how we have done.

Mr Clicky and me went to see Skyfall on Friday.  I'm a Bond fan and enjoyed it Daniel Craig very much.  I won't give anything away if you've not seen it.

As we've had a cold but sunny day I've pottered around the garden tidying up a bit.  This is certainly a change from last Sunday which was wall to wall rain and snow.

I've carried on with my Olivia jumper, the sleeve is now finished.   It is close fitting and I'm a bit concerned that it is too tight under the arm, we'll see.

I've started a scarf in that Sublime Wooly Merino I got in Ally Pally.

It's just stocking stitch as I want it to roll inwards.

I've received some more squares for my Friendship Blanket.

 The ones I'm making for (last!) month need to be jewel colours.   I had several stash dives hoping to find something fitting but unfortunately I found nothing.  Why I looked a second time I'm not sure ~ was anything new going to turn up?  Anyhoo when I was in Stroud with Mr Clicky yesterday I found this which should be fine.

I'm going to get cracking on that later.

We've had some new photos from La Petite Maison. Why not pop over and have a look?

That's about it for now I think, as always have fun.

Bye for now........Clicky Needles.

Half Term Over

Hello All.

Half term in Gloucestershire has finished and it's wet and a bit miserable.  I haven't really done much, I did have plans to paint the living room, but that didn't happen.   This morning we took full advantage of BST finishing and spent the extra hour in bed with cups of tea.

Mr Clicky and me have had a trip over to France at the start of the week to work on La Petite Maison, you can read all about it here.  It was very tiring but we had lots of laughs and wine too.  We left DD at home and DS went to stay with my Mum and Dad.  A big thanks to them for having him and putting up with his incessant chatter.

I have got a few things finished. 

A One Row Lace Scarf ~ pattern here ~ made with a ball of King Cole Mirage which had been hanging around in the stash for a while.  I think it'll be a Christmas Pressie for someone.

  I've started the Olivia Jumper with the Woolyknits Aran that I got at Ally Pally.  The sleeves are an easy remembered pattern and I'm very much enjoying it.

I took my Abalone Waistcoat to knitting group yesterday, finished the collar and cast it off.  I had picked up 1 stitch for 1 row and the fronts were a bit wavy.  Romain assured me that if I gave it a good steam press it would sort out.  I tried that today and unfortunately it didn't work, so I've taken the collar off to knit it again.

That's about it from me I think, I'm not looking to going back to work but hey ho.

Bye for now, have fun...................Clicky Needles.

Ally Pally Purchases

Hello.

Me and Romain had a great time at Ally Pally on Sunday .

Straight away I bumped into somebody I went to secondary school with (what are the chances?) 

and then Romain and me went for a jolly good ferret.

A beautiful Shetland rainbow.

 The things that I bought.

Felt circles and stars and some ric-rac braid.  More on that in the weeks to come.

 Lovely bright buttons because you can never have enough.

 Woolyknits aran

 to make this jumper.  I tried it on and it was very nice.

 Another 3" big button. 

 Sublime Luxurious Wooly Merino.  Two balls of each colour for a scarf.

This is a coaster, but I've made it into a fridge magnet.

Knit Pro cable connectors, useful I thought.

A little caddy bag given to me by Romain, she got a magazine subscription and this was the freebie, but she's already got one.

 There was so much to see and some fabulous work by the fashion and textile students.  We had a super time, squishing and ooing and aaahing.  The qiviut yarn (Musk Ox) was soooooo soft, but way too pricey for us.

The knitted village.  I'm not usually into this sort of thing but it was amazing.

All in all a very tiring but enjoyable day.

Right, I need to get off now because me and Mr Clicky are off to France to La Petite Maison.  We're going with B and S, so it'll be the first time Mr Clicky will see it and the first time all of us will be there together.  I'm trying to remember all the tools we'll need, hammer, pick-axe etc, and make sure there is enough food for DD whilst we're away.  DS is going to stay with my Mum and Dad.

See you soon.

Have fun.............Clicky Needles.

Knitty Update

Hello again.

I hope I didn't bore the pants off you with yesterday's post,  and as promised no mention of aircraft  at all today.

So what have I been knitting?

My Abalone waistcoat has been growing at a rate of knots.  Well it's Aran weight and 5mm needles so it has flown.

Only one slight problem.   I've completed the main body and I'm now ready to pick up for the sleeve cuffs and the front edging and I've run out of yarn.

As I mentioned before it's British Breeds Jacob Grey Aran.     I got the yarn 4 years ago and I'm not going to be able to match it, so I've gone for some light Grey Suffolk Aran in a total contrast.

I've been for a quick 'click' ;-) and it should be winging it's way to me soon.

Whilst waiting for the Grey Suffolk I think I'll take the opportunity to block it as it's rolling a lot.

When I was in Stroud the other day I popped into Shaw's the Drapers and found they had some more lime green and grey Marriner Double Knit in stock.  This is the yarn I use for making blankets; 150g and £1.70 per ball, so a bargain.  The blanket is looking ok but a zing of lime green is really going pep it up, the grey is a new colour as well.  

 I haven't done much for  a while but the new yarn is spurring me on, I can't wait to get the green in.

I thought you might like to see this flower.  It's my Shoe Horn plant so named because the leaves are flat like ~ yes you've guessed it ~ a shoe horn.  The flowers really look weird. 

That's about it for today I think.

Autumn is drawing in, the leaves are turning and we've started lighting the woodburner to keep the chill off in the evening.

 I'm giddy with excitement because next Sunday is Ally Pally, Knitting and Stitching Show.  

Yaaaaay!

I can't wait.

As always have fun.

Bye for now...............Clicky Needles.

A Grand Day Out

Hi there.

A few weeks ago me, Mr Clicky and DS went to stay with our friends B and S in Hertfordshire.  

We decided on a day out at Duxford airfield, where the Imperial War Museum have their airplanes on display.  Now, I probably need to warn you, if you don't like planes you might want to stop reading now. 

Duxford has six h-u-g-e hangars stuffed full of aircraft as well as a reconstruction of the WW2 ops room.

There were aircraft that pop up in films.

The boys engrossed in the guidebooks in front of a Junkers JU 52.  It was used in the film "Where Eagles Dare," Clicky Needles' gang compulsive viewing for a wet Sunday afternoon.  ("Broadsword calling Danny Boy!".......)

 Boeing B17 Flying Fortress, used by the American Airforce in WW2.   This plane; the Sally B and another were used in the filming of "Memphis Belle."

 The third film star and without any doubt my favourite,  Douglas DC 3; the Dakota.  Much travelled in by India Jones and James Bond alike it is a beautiful machine.  First built in 1936 there are still some in daily use.  This one is hanging (!) in the American hangar.

 Stupidly I didn't take a picture of the hangar designed by Lord Foster, it is spectacular.   Outside the hangar is The Duxford Memorial Wall.  This is a stunning but sobering wall of glass with each of the American aircraft that flew to Europe in WW2 on operations but did not return, etched upon it.

The sun cast shadows that made it even more poignant. 

 Just look how long it was.

 When you get inside you are nose to nose with a B 52 bomber, it dwarfed the other aircraft around it.

Not the best picture but the people give you an idea of scale.

F1-11 fighter bomber in front.

U2 spy plane in the background.

The shiny rivets of a B 17 Liberator bomber.

 Huey helicopter; just for Teresa, her hubby flew them during Vietnam.

Over the top of the B52, A10 Warthog

and underneath a Mustang the American version of the Spitfire.

 Into the Battle of Britain hangar now and a Hawker Hurricane

 and ~ of course ~ Supermarine Spitfire.

A crashed Messerschmitt.

Also the Gloster Meteor; Britain's first jet aircraft, designed by Sir Frank Whittle.  I had to get a piccy of this because our family farm overlooked the airfield where this was built and where it first flew from.  The Gloster Aircraft Company built 2750 Hurricanes there during the early years of the war and then 3300 Hawker Typhoons.

In 1945 the Meteor gained a world speed record of 606 mph and it was eventually put into service by 12 nations. 

Because the farm was on higher ground there were machine gun emplacements in our fields to protect GAC from bombing.   The airfield has long since gone and it is now an industrial area, housing estate and huge Tesco, which has pictures of the Meteor etched onto it's massive windows.  The new pub is called The Whittle and the roads are named after the craft made there including Hurricane Way.  I'm really pleased the history isn't being lost.

This Harrier was in the process of being restored.

We walked through Concord in the AirSpace hangar and saw more Dakotas, a Wellington Bomber, the 'V' Force, ~ Vulcan, Victor and Valiant ~ Harriers and more aircraft than I can remember.  Unfortunately the light wasn't great and I couldn't get any photos.

All the while two Tiger Moths and a Dragon Rapide (all bi planes) were flying, making the noise that only vintage planes can.

It really was a full day out and (as you can possibly tell!) we all had a wonderful time.

Righto see you soon, with no planes mentioned at all.

Promise.

Byeeee.............Clicky Needles.